Key changes in movie scores!

[TonyG]

Many would probably consider composers of movie scores, i.e. John Barry, John Williams etc. to be creating modern "classics". I think it fair to assume that if movies had been around before the 20th century, then many of the great composers would have addressed themselves to the film industry. My all time favourite still however remains the Warsaw Concerto. I consider it to be a sort of Rachmaninov pastiche that composer Addinsell created. Anyway, on to the question; do you think it disappointing and predictable the way that Williams in particular always seems to introduce a key change towards the end of a piece to "freshen up" the melody? I'm not suggesting that this detracts in any important way from Williams' contribution to the world of music, in fact I think that Williams, Barry and Enricho M. have done a splendid job in developing peoples ability to listen to orchestral performances.

[leyton]

I have not been paying close attention to that in movie scores , however I do play a lot of music for church .  I find it in a lot of modern church pieces in an effort by some the music the composer does do a simple key change.  I do find that it doesn't add the intended novelty to the music and is instead just an annoying thing to deal with!

There should be a law against sloppy key changes.

[allchopin]

I'm a fairly big Williams fan, and I don't find that he changes keys too often.  But I do find him predictable in his writing style- however, that is just his way of composing, his style.  Lotsa composers really did somethings that get on my nerves that is predictable that they try to spice up the pieces with:

Chopin: spontaneous, repeated key changes that last maybe a few notes (waltzes esp)
Liszt: too many notes
Mozart: lack of key changes
Rachmaninoff: excessive notes w/ accidentals that detract from the key he is in - kind of like impressionism
This is what how I see these composers' idiosyncrasies often in their writing.  But Williams is an excellent composer, and the key changes are just the way he gets his point across.